Ji Jing fell silent.

"You go back and report," Ji Zhao said. "I'll continue the chase. They can't have gone far. I might be able to catch them by following their tracks."

"No!" Ji Jing refused firmly. "If it's really an Otherworlder, the two of us might not be a match for it. You alone..."

"That's exactly why I need you to go back and report," Ji Zhao said, his brow furrowed. His words were succinct. "No more nonsense. Go, quickly."

Ji Jing gave him a deep look. "You'd better not die here. The sword-maidens of the Penglai Sword Pavilion are still waiting for you to marry them."

"No matter what happens, don't look back. Just keep going," Ji Zhao suddenly instructed.

Ji Jing found his words strange. It wasn't until after she had departed and vanished completely from sight that Ji Zhao drew a long saber from his back and thrust it fiercely into the ground.

He said calmly, "I know you're still here. Come out."

No one responded.

Ji Zhao roared, "Come and fight!"

"HEE HEE HEE..."

Accompanied by a series of strange cackles, an old man materialized out of thin air in the empty clearing. It was him. He was none other than Dai Yong's master.

"Two early-Ninth Grade Martial Artists think they can lay siege to me? Tsk, tsk... Where are the Night Watchmen? The Watchmen? Where did they all go?" the old man said with a smile.

Ji Zhao didn't answer. A pale flame ignited along his long saber as his body began to exude a terrifying pressure. And this pressure was still increasing! However, Ji Zhao's hair was rapidly turning white. He had clearly used a Secret Technique, burning his lifespan and vital essence in exchange for a brief moment of peak power.

"So, you stayed behind, resolved to die, so your companion could escape. Human emotions truly are touching," the old man licked his lips. "That woman would have tasted better than you. What a pity."

"Those who offend Hua Country shall be slain, no matter how far they flee!"

With a furious roar, Ji Zhao swung his saber. The void itself trembled, and the surrounding earth cracked, forming a web of terrifying fissures.

However, in the old man's eyes, the attack was pathetic. He smiled and said, "Remember the name of the man who killed you—Gu Jiu'an."

...

Flying through the air, Ji Jing suddenly looked back. She had sensed a violent fluctuation of Spiritual Energy. Behind her, a great battle had erupted!

She turned to fly back without hesitation, but then she remembered Ji Zhao's words, and her steps faltered.

So... you never intended to make it out alive, did you?

Ji Jing's expression was conflicted for only a moment before she turned and flew swiftly away. She was never one for indecision. If they had truly encountered an Otherworlder, returning now would only make her a burden to Ji Zhao! It was far better to bring the news back, which could spare Hua Country countless losses.

「At the center of the battlefield.」

After a fierce battle, Ji Zhao leaned on his long saber, drenched in blood. His face was aged beyond recognition as he struggled back to his feet. Still, he gripped his saber tightly, his teeth stained crimson as he roared, "Those who offend Hua Country, no matter—"

PFFT!

A crisp sound echoed through the clearing. The old man, Gu Jiu'an, had thrust his hand straight through Ji Zhao's chest. He pulled it back out, holding a vigorously pounding heart that still reeked of blood.

Gu Jiu'an frowned and kicked Ji Zhao's corpse away. "Such a waste," he cursed irritably. "This was supposed to be a first-rate delicacy, but you just had to go and burn your life force. Now sixty to seventy percent of its essence is gone!"

But Gu Jiu'an swallowed it anyway. After all, it was the heart of an early-Ninth Grade Martial Artist. For him, in his gravely injured state, it was still a potent supplement.

"Now then, time to head to Mount Haitang," Gu Jiu'an said with a strange expression, a ghastly laugh escaping his lips. "There's a Dragon Vein there. If I were to devour it... HEE HEE HEE."

"But, the Flower Fairy of the Divine Gate Realm is an obstacle. I was originally planning to have that useless Dai Yong kidnap her descendant to create a diversion for me, but I didn't expect him to be so incompetent."

Gu Jiu'an thought for a moment, then took a Bone Flute from his robes and began to play.

...

...

Hua Country's Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor, Ji Zhao, was dead!

The news spread like wildfire across the country in an instant. All martial artists were stunned, unable to believe it was true.

That was a Ninth Grade Great Martial Ancestor! To think he had been killed... Rumor had it that not even a complete corpse was left behind.

The Martial Dao World was filled with righteous indignation. Martial artists petitioned the Martial Dao Association, offering their assistance in catching the culprit, but they were all rejected without exception. Even offers of help from Seventh Grade Martial Ancestors were refused.

Regarding Ji Zhao's death, the Eighth Grade, Ninth Grade, and even higher-boundary martial artists who knew the inside story were fraught with anxiety. Three Otherworlders had broken through Chang'an City. They had arrived on Earth!

The only certainty was that the Otherworlder who had appeared in the mountains on the outskirts of East Sea City, although his boundary had fallen drastically, was still estimated to be at the late-Ninth Grade. Otherwise, Ji Zhao would never have resorted to using 'Blood Ignition', let alone been so one-sidedly slaughtered.

"Do not alert the enemy. Continue to track him secretly. Otherworlders must consume blood daily. Once any abnormalities are discovered... kill on sight!"

A secret order was issued from the highest echelons of the Martial Dao Association.

Martial artists below the Eighth Grade did not understand the significance of the Great Martial Ancestor Ji Zhao's death. Nor did they know that the level of martial law in East Sea City and its surrounding areas had been raised by several degrees. Dozens of martial artists, whose names had once graced the Sky Ranking but who had been officially declared 'dead', were now hidden in various locations. They waited only for the signal to be given, and then they would carry out the encirclement.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Xu Lai. After spending the day at the university, he went to the kindergarten to pick up Yiyi and take her home.

As dusk fell, a dispirited Ruan Lan returned to the villa and flopped onto the sofa like a salted fish.

"Little Auntie, what's wrong?" Xu Yiyi asked cutely.

"She flunked a test," Xu Lai said.

"I did... I did not flunk!" Ruan Lan shot back irritably. "I just didn't perform well, that's all. Besides, the results aren't even out yet."

"So, will Little Auntie get a perfect score?" Xu Yiyi asked expectantly. "Mommy said you're a great student, Little Auntie, and that Yiyi should learn from you."

"Well, about that..." Ruan Lan rubbed her nose, feigning composure. "Maybe not a perfect score, but pretty close."

Just then, Ruan Tang walked out of her room and immediately saw her sister's tell-tale sign of lying. She rolled her eyes. "Ruan Lan, play fewer games. It would be so embarrassing if you failed your courses."

"Oh," Ruan Lan mumbled, her head drooping listlessly.

But as Xu Lai began placing platters of delicious food on the table, her spirits instantly revived, and she began to dig in.

BUZZ... BUZZ... BUZZ...

Ruan Lan's phone, which was charging nearby, began to vibrate. Ruan Tang was closest to it, so she bent down and picked it up. When she saw the caller ID, her expression grew complicated.

It's Mother!

She handed the phone to Ruan Lan, who answered, "Mom."

"Hey, my dear daughter," Zhu Fen said cheerfully. "How have you been at school? You haven't come home to see your mother in a long time."

"I've been good." Ruan Lan felt a pang of guilt. It really had been a while since she had last left the Ruan Family villa to visit her parents.

"Tomorrow is your grandfather's birthday," Ruan Yinshan's gruff voice cut in as he took the phone. "Call your sister and come home together to celebrate."

"Not going!" Ruan Lan's refusal was sharp and decisive.

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